Corset or girdle and combination



Nov. 8, 1938. E. BERTRAMS CORSET OR GIRDLE AND COMBINATION Filed July 3,1956 2 Sheejzs-Sheet 1 NOV. 8, 1938. BERTRAMS 2,135,655

CORSET OR GIRDLE AND COMBINATION Filed July 3, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Nov. 8, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,135,655 CORSET OB. GIRDLE ANDCOMBINATION Elsa Bertram, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Kabo 'Corset 00.,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application at a, 1936, SerialNo. ears: 3 Claims. (01. 2-37) This invention relates to an improvementin corsets, girdles or combination garments and consists of the mattershereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

The invention relates particularly to the kind of corset, girdle orcombination garment in which there are included vertically runningelastic strips at the hips for yieldingly holding the hips and buttocksin smooth, rounded form. In such girdles as heretofore constructed, ithas been found that no matter how closely the elastic is drawn againstthe figure, particularly in the case of figures with over-developedhips, there is a tendency to form transverse'creases at and above andbelow the hip, where the flesh is crowded together or bunched, with theresult that the designed smooth contour is broken in the neighborhood ofthe said creases. The object of my invention is to provide aconstruction including elastic strips at the hip, which will prevent theformation of said creases and will hold the hips and buttocks to asubstantially smooth, continuous contour. 5 The advantages of theinvention will appear more fully as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings:- Figure 1 is a view representing in side elevation afigure with one of the girdles with elastic strips 0 at the hips, whichhas the objectionable features hereinbefore referred to; I

Figure 2isasimilarviewofafigureasit appears when wearing the improvedgirdle;

Figure 3 is a front view of the figure shown in 35 Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the improved girdle;

-Flgure 5 is a side view on an enlarged scale; and 40 Figure 6 is asectional view to be described more fully later in the specification.

Referring now to that embodiment of the invention as shown in thedrawings (Figures 2 to 6, inclusive): l0 indicates the improved girdle45 as a whole. Said girdle comprises a front member ll divided from thetop nearly to the bottom into two parts connected by a slide fastener,hook and eye, or other fastening device i2, as shown in Figure 3. l3indicates the back. These 50 parts of the girdle are of any familiar orusual construction, the front including the familiar elastic gore orgusset H at the crotch and the back including a like elastic gore orgusset ill at the waist. 55 II, It indicate the sides of the corset orgirdle. Each side is duplex and comprises superposed sections and IIjoined together at their lateral edges by lines of stitching. Each sidesection consists of a strip of elastic material Ila and a non-elasticstrip IIb joined together at 5 their proximate edges. And the section l8comprises an elastic strip Ito and a non-elastic strip ilb joinedtogether at their proximate edges. The two sections are disposed withthe elastic strip Ila of the section I! underlying the.in- 1 elasticstrip lib of the section l8 and the elastic strip l8a overlying theinelastic strip "b of section II. The duplex sides [6, l6 extendsubstantially the full length of the corset or girdle, including thewaist and hip portions of the gar- 15 ment. For freedom of movement atthe waist and at the bottom, the inner side section II, whileapproximately the same length as the section I 8,

is made shorter at the top and bottom than the outer side section; asshown in Figure 5. The 20 relative arrangement of the two sections isshown diagrammatically in Figure 6.

The elastic strips "a and i8a are elastic laterally but are inelastic ina vertical direction. When the girdle is put on and as it adjusts itasself to the figure, there is a relative lateral movement of the elasticstrips i8a of the outer sections I8 against the inelastic strips I ll)of the inner sections l1; and similarly, there is a relative lateralmovement of the inelastic strips I81) of the outer sections I 8 againstthe elastic strips Ila of the inner sections II. In this movement, thelateral yield of each elastic section is opposed by the inelasticsection beneath or above it, as the case may be, with the result thatthe flesh of the hips and adjacent parts of the body is gently smoothedout or ironed into shape, so

as to present a smooth, continuous contour without the objectionablecreases made by girdles of the kind heretofore made, as shown inFigure 1. Preferably the elastic strip of the outer section, namely i8a,is made more unyielding than the elastic strip of the inner section.This aids to produce the operation of smoothing out the contour asdescribed.

By the relative yielding lateral movement of the one sectionwithreference to the other-be tween the lines of stitching connecting eachof the duplex side sections at its lateral margins to the back and frontof the girdle, a gentle but firm pressure is supplied evenly throughoutthe surface of the part of the body covered, so that a yielding but firmpressure is distributed uniformly throughout the length of the twosuperposed sections, with the result that the front of the abdomen isgiven a straight formation and the buttocks approaching the waist at thetop of the girdle are smoothed out to merge gently into the waistline atthe back, as shown clearly in Figure 2.

It will be observed that the elastic strip of each section followsgenerally the pattern of the inelastic strip to which it is opposed; andin the particular girdle shown to illustrate the invention. the widthsof the two opposed strips are substantially alike; but that while thesame general pattern must be followed for two such opposed strips, theyneed not correspond in width throughout, since this may be varied tosecure the desired yield of the elastic strip as required by theparticular design of girdle or garment in which the duplex member is tobe incorporated.

The improved duplex side sections are obviously applicable to anygirdle, corset or combination garment, whether made as a distinct andseparate garment, or made as part of a garment covering a greater partof the body.

While in describing the invention I have referred to several details ofmechanical construction as illustrating the preferred embodiment of theinvention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limitedthereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:-

1. A corset having a back, a front, and duplex side members, each sidemember extending substantially the full length of the corset and com--'prising inner and outer sections, the one section being superposed uponthe other, the two sections each consisting of an inelastic strip and anelastic strip each extending approximately the full length of thesection, and the inelastic strip of each section being disposed againstthe elastic strip of the other section.

2. A corset having a back, a front, and duplex side members, each sidemember extending substantlally the full length of the corset andcomprising inner and outer sections, the one section being superposedupon the other, the two sections each consisting of an inelastic stripand an elastic strip each extending approximately the full length of thesection, the inelastic strip of each section being disposed against theelastic strip or" the other section, and the elastic strip of the outersection being less yielding laterally than the elastic strip of theinner section.

3. In a garment having waist and hip portions, a duplex elastic member,said member extending substantially the full length of said waist andhip portions of the garment and comprising inner and outer sections, theone section being superposed on the other, said two sections eachconsisting of an inelastic strip and an elastic strip each extendingapproximately the full length of the section, and the inner inelasticstrip of each section being disposed against the elastic strip of theother section.

ELSA BERTRAMS.

